SUSHRUT

Sushrut

Born : Kingdom of Kashi (Present Day Uttar Pradesh, India)

Known for : Author of Sushruta Samhita Scientific career

Fields : Medicine, Plastic surgery, Dentistry, Obstetrics and gynaecology

Sushrut, or Sushrut was an ancient Indian physician known as the main author of the treatise The Compendium of Sushrut (Sanskrit: Sushrut-samhita). The Mahabharat, an ancient Indian epic text, represents him as a son of Vishvamitra, which coincides with the present recension of Sushrut Samhita. Kunjalal Bhisagratna opined that it is safe to assume that Sushrut was the name of the clan to which Vishvamitra belonged. He is one of a number of individuals described as the "Father of surgery" and "Father of Plastic Surgery".

The Sushrut Samhita is one of the most important surviving ancient treatises on medicine and is considered a foundational text of Ayurved. A 1134 years old palm leaf manuscript of Sushrut Samhita is preserved in Kaiser Library Nepal. It is written in Kutila script also recognized as Gupta script. It is considered as the oldest document in the field of Ayurved (traditional medicine system using herbs and plants) medicine found and preserved in Nepal. The treatise addresses all aspects of general medicine, but the translator G. D. Singhal dubbed Sushrut "the father of surgery" on account of the detailed accounts of surgery to be found in the work.

The Compendium of Sushruta locates its author in Varanasi.

Date :

The early scholar Rudolf Hoernle proposed that some concepts from the Sushrut-samhita could be found in the Shathpath Brahman, which he dates to the 600 BCE, and this dating is still often repeated. However, during the last century, scholarship on the history of Indian medical literature has advanced substantially, and firm evidence has accumulated that the Sushrut-samhita is a work of several historical layers. Its composition may have begun in the last centuries BCE and it was completed in its present form by another author who redacted its first five chapters and added the long, final chapter, the "Uttaratantra." It is likely that the Sushruta-samhita was known to the scholar Drdhabala (fl. 300–500 CE), which gives the latest date for the version of the work that has come down to us today. It has also become clear through historical research that there are several ancient authors called "Sushrut" who might be conflated.

Citations :

The Mahabharat lists Sushrut amongst the sons of Visvamitra, the legendary sage. The same connection with Visvamitra is also made in the Sushrut-samhita itself. The name Sushrut appears in later literature in the Bower Manuscript (sixth century CE), where Sushrut is listed as one of the ten sages residing in the Himalayas.

Sushrut-samhita :

Ancient indian text Sushrut samhita yantra, shows surgical instruments 4 of 4

Ancient indian text Sushrut samhita shastra and kartarika, surgical instruments 1 of 4

The Sushrut-samhita, in its extant form, in 184 chapters contains descriptions of 1,120 illnesses, 700 medicinal plants, 64 preparations from mineral sources and 57 preparations based on animal sources. The text discusses surgical techniques of making incisions, probing, extraction of foreign bodies, alkali and thermal cauterization, tooth extraction, excisions, and trocars for draining abscess, draining hydrocele and ascitic fluid, removal of the prostate gland, urethral stricture dilatation, vesicolithotomy, hernia surgery, caesarian section, management of haemorrhoids, fistulae, laparotomy and management of intestinal obstruction, perforated intestines and accidental perforation of the abdomen with protrusion of omentum and the principles of fracture management, viz., traction, manipulation, apposition and stabilization including some measures of rehabilitation and fitting of prosthetic. It enumerates six types of dislocations, twelve varieties of fractures, and classification of the bones and their reaction to the injuries, and gives a classification of eye diseases including cataract surgery.

Source :

https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Sushruta